Life gets crazy!

It has been way too long since I've blogged. Not because I  have so many fans or followers, more so just for myself. I enjoy writing, what teacher doesn't? SO much has changed and its really gotten hard to blog. For starters, I was moved to 3rd grade last year. It was welcomed, but unexpected. I have the best partner now! Really, they've all been great but my new partner and I are basically twins in way too many ways. The principal claims she put us together because she knew it would be a perfect fit, she was right! Last year was rough, so rough. It was hard because the kids were hard, it was hard because I was trying to learn a new grade level and curriculum, I was piloting the new ELA curriculum and I also started a new math curriculum in the middle of the year. I participated in a STEM grant. To top that off, the parents of the students really gave me a run for my money. Not my favorite thing to deal with when all I really want to do is help their students become the best people they can be! Anywho, it was full of meetings, so many meetings and IEPs. I also found out I was pregnant so now I have two little love bugs at home who keep me more than busy! That was last year.

Let's fast forward to this year! I have my same amazing partner teacher, but I have a 2/3 combo. I adore my students. I already had most of them in TK or K, so I know and love them so much already, getting to work with them again, and seeing how much they've changed and learned is just the icing on the cake. I am so blessed. Running the combo is hard! I'm still figuring things out, as is the school district who took on a ton of change at once. I am loving the 2nd grade curriculum so much more than the 3rd grade. We also have a new (and great) principal this year! The school year is flying by! Running a household, and working full time has been so overwhelming. It's so had to divide my time and energy between work, family, friends, myself, my animals... We also started our goat farm. Our first goat baby is due in December!

I write all of this to let you know why I haven't been around, but I hope to have something interesting to write about soon. 
Teach on!

Long time no post!

Hello,
Wow, it has been a long time since I have made a post here. Since I last posted, I had a baby. I bought a house. I had a crazy school year. I grew to love all those corky kiddos so much. There were so many sad situations, at times they got me down. I was struggling with the sad events, poverty, parental issues, behavior problems, and not being able to reach all my students. I finally started looking at all the incredible successes I was seeing. I focused on those and my love for the kids. It was a great year! I finished BTSA, hurray!

On that note, I am so saddened but also excited to announce that I will be moving to 3rd grade! My heart is still in kinder land, so I am going to keep posting here. This year I will be taking on a new grade level while piloting a new curriculum, I will be doing STEM training/coaching, I will continue working with my coach, I will remain on school site council and the social committee. I am advancing my health and wellness committee. As of now we are walking twice a week. I am going to introduce phase two by including healthy habit slides into the weekly bulletin for my school. These will include quotes, links to articles, pictures, etc. that all revolve around physical and mental health. Let's face it, teachers need that! It's easy to get wrapped up in our students and families, and neglect ourselves.

Since I am currently on Summer break, I am going to enjoy my (almost) 1 year old, lovely husband, and friends as much as I can!

Until next time...

Thanks for reading!

Oh you teach Kindergarten?

Them: What grade do you teach?

Me: Kindergarten
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is where the conversation either goes one of two ways.

1)
Them: Oh, bless your heart. I don't know how anyone could possibly do that.

OR

2)
Them: Oh so you basically babysit all day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the first situation, I understand that the job is not for everyone. I appreciate the blessing and that you realize my job is more than babysitting. It does make me sad how awful they picture it, though. Do they imagine a bunch of kids running around like crazy in an enclosed classroom? Do you have zero patience? They are just kids who need love and validation. I don't get it..

In the second situation, I used to get really mad. Now, I just feel bad for the person. What makes them view school in this way? If you truly believe that Kindergarten is babysitting, then you are incredibly uneducated and need to step foot in a classroom to see what is really going on before you assume we just watch kids all day.

Either way, it usually ends with me smiling, nodding, and walking away... I know that what I do is incredibly valuable and that's all that matters.  Sometimes I will say a little something about how we set the foundation for their learning experience, yadda yadda yadda. Which is usually returned with an eye roll. Like I said in my last blog-why argue with someone who already has their mind made up?

Common Core...

It always happens. I'll be sitting somewhere, a park, a baby shower, a birthday party, a bowling alley, or just out to dinner with friends and someone finds out I'm a teacher. Sometimes this person is a teacher too, but it doesn't matter what they do because they always ask the same thing: "What do you think about the new Common Core?" It's always with a negative tone.

Usually the person who brings the topic up has no clue about Common Core, or the teaching world at all. I usually sit back and let the people around me discuss it and stay out of the conversation completely. People always want to complain about something. I don't see what the big fuss is about. Common Core has been a long time coming. Why fight it? It's just another shift. I don't hate it, I don't avoid it. Why not dive in, explore it? See the good in it. That's not what the person wants me to say. It's as if they are disappointed when I don't bath mouth the new learning standards.

I LOVE my job, but on the weekends I just want to be me. I don't want to go into depth about my feelings on teaching standards. I simply want to enjoy whatever event I am attending. It's not every day or weekend that I am able to attend these events due to my exhaustion at the end of a teaching week.

Maybe it's just me, but when I find out someone's career, I don't immediately want to discuss something controversial about their profession. I understand they could be trying to start a conversation, or that maybe they are interested in the topic but I'm just not into discussing it with someone who obviously has their mind made up based off of who knows what research, logic, and experience.

Math Tubs~Lazy or Genius?

Do you use math tubs? If so, please use comment below. I was exposed to math tubs while student teaching and immediately thought it was genius. Now that I have had it stuck in my head for a few years, I just can't decide - Is it lazy or genius? 

The whole idea of math tubs is that you teach a mini lesson, then have 5 tubs with different math activities prepared inside. The students can choose to do whichever one they want on each day as long as they complete all 5 activities in one week. There is some sort of checklist that the teacher signs off each day, it needs to be complete at the end of the week.

At first, I thought it was such a great idea! It makes the students so responsible in so many ways! Students are exploring on their own, and working with peers. Perhaps my memory isn't working well, and I can't find much information online about this idea but now I'm thinking...

Math tubs is a totally lazy idea! Sure it takes a little more prep, but that's a once a week thing! Also, are kindergarteners ready to take the responsibility of their own learning into their own hands? Do they really learn as much that way, as opposed to more small group instruction time? I'm thinking no. 

Things You Don't Learn In The Credential Program Part II

After thinking about my last post I realized how negative it sounds. I decided it warranted a second part that focuses on the overwhelmingly amazing parts that I was also not prepared for in the credential program.

The Joy

We all know that kids can light up lives, but teaching... Its a whole different level of joy and happiness. I love my job, I love my students, I love my school, and I love my staff. My students keep my smiling and laughing all day. I am so lucky to get to see them grow in so many ways. And the best part is, I know that I have made such a difference in each and every one of them. Some students start the year off not talking, and by now they are flourishing! They are speaking, reading, writing, solving problems, becoming great friends to others. I get to spend my day with sweet, understanding, charming, interesting little learners and am so blessed.

I love my job. My dad always said, "Love what you do and it will feel like you haven't worked a day in your life." I am so happy to say that I love what I do. Teaching is my passion. 

I am going to end this blog just like I did my last one. I believe the credential doesn't prepare you for this joy because it is something one cannot be prepared for. It simply has to be felt.

Here is a picture of our Red Ribbon Week door. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful job and class.

Things You Don't Learn In The Credential Program

I had an amazing credential program experience. I met great people, fantastic educators, and received the highest quality of education that truly prepared me for my career. I am so grateful for the experience. However, there is one thing I was not prepared for:

The Heartbreak

Though one class did touch on the issue of dealing with students who come from less than desirable home situations, no one tells you about how hard it is seeing kids come to school without food every day. The kids who tell you they didn't have dinner last night. The calls to CPS that are not dealt with adequately. The kids who are battling leukemia. The kids who have seen way to much at such a young age. The five year olds who are already bullies because their parents bully them. The students who are clearly struggling due to a learning disability that the parents neglect to deal with. The students who are juggled from foster family to foster family. 

All of these issues weigh heavily on the hearts of the teachers, and we are left feeling helpless. Sure we do ALL we can do for the child at school, but when they go home at the end of the day, the sadness kicks in. Then the wondering begins: what more can we do? So we start giving even more. We buy students food, we visit them at the hospital, we call parents do discuss how they can help their child succeed (most of whom ignore our calls), we tutor after school, we teach character above academics at times, but no matter what we do, we are left with the feeling that it is still not enough. 

I love my job even more than I thought I would. I work in a fabulous district, at a fantastic school, with the best of the best, but yet I get feelings of sadness and heartbreak that I cannot do more for the students who need it the most. 

Perhaps this is not taught in the teacher prep programs because it simply cannot be taught. One cannot be prepared for it. No matter how much I could have been taught about it, nothing would have prepared me for how it would affect me or on ways to deal with it.